


Instants

by SocNau



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Confessions, Drabbles, F/M, Pining, Pre-Canon, slow burn i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29882511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SocNau/pseuds/SocNau
Summary: A drabble-like story of our cute royal couple.
Relationships: Zeke von Genbu/Meleph | Mòrag Ladair
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	Instants

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is just me putting down ideas for them that I probably would never have the time to draw, so I apology in advance for any sudden mood shift (and bad writting and OOC? lol).
> 
> Also shout out to JeliBelski, Draku, Joseph, Moonlily, Nayuta-san and everyone that has jumped on this small (Titan?) ship with me, y'all are awesome uwu

**1\. One-second Short-circuit**

“I want to kiss you...”

“Huh?”

Two months after they joined the journey to the World Tree with Rex, on a sleepless night at the shore of Fonsett, healthy foliages dipped themselves in the bright hues of aurora, two wooden swords tiredly lied on the white soft sand, one slip of tongue gave away his seven-year-long feeling for her.

“Oh shoot- I- uh... that was- I mean,” he panicked, scrambling away from her face, retreating his hands that were pinning against hers. His brain felt as if it was short-circuited, despite the fact that his heart was doing its best at pumping. 

“I... like you,” he admitted.

She sat up while brushing off the sand on her hairlock. Her cheeks were red but was it from the spar they just had or was it because of him, he didn’t know. He could only hope. 

He stole glances at her for like an eternity, yet he still couldn’t decipher her expression, her eyes were on the ground the whole time.

“Please say something...”

_Anything._

He was already prepared for rejection, even a smack in the head like she always did when he said something outrageous but silence, or worse, getting ignored, was the last thing he would ever want.

“Do you... want us to date then?” She spoke, in the tiniest voice he had ever heard from her.

“Huh?”

His seven-year-long unrequited love abruptly went up in flames from a one-second short-circuit.

**2\. The Second Time**

Sitting on the border of Grian the Wing Area #2, gazing at the massive industrial capital, he wiped off the dripping sweats running down from his dark grey hair. Here and his home both heavily relied on technology but the weathers were the total opposite.

“Let’s go back inside, my prince, or you’ll have a heatstroke,” said the green haired girl with big round glasses that matched his, pulling him by the arm.

“Impressive, is it not?”

A strange, yet somewhat familiar voice directed to him from behind. He turned around to see a girl with black hair tied in a bun, wearing a white shirt with gold attachments on shoulders that screamed royalty, two blue ether-emitting swords on her hips. At a fine distance behind her was a woman in purple dress, blue flames on her hair and arms. 

_So she became a Driver too._

His face brightened. He made a dramatic jump to face the girl from the border he’d been sitting on, despite it being not very high.

“Hey there, my old lil’ chum back in Gormott. Didn’t know you were the heiress of this impressive place.” He grinned, making an explosion gesture with his palms at the word “impressive”, while the green head girl with light bulbs mimicking the sound effect.

“I am not the heiress, and I was not either back in that time, for your information,” she chuckled.

Among all those smiles at him he saw from the people in this palace (which only appeared when they learned that he was the Prince of Tantal), hers was probably the most genuine.

“You did know me, though, didn’t you?” He asked.

He didn’t know her exact identity back then, but he knew she wasn’t an ordinary child. There weren’t many grown-ups who knew about Tantal, let alone a kid, and no one outside of his country could spell his real name right after hearing it for just one time. 

Looking back at it, that time in Gormott probably the most fun adventure he had out of all the times he sneaked out of Tantal, despite it being only for 2 days.

“Indeed, my apology for keeping it secrets, both my real identity and the fact that I knew yours.”

For someone who was trying to not be a noble, her way of speech back then did give it away, now that he thought of it.

“Hey, don’t sweat it, Mòrag, you jolly saved me from that gigantic monkey and didn’t tell my pops I was there. That was all that mattered.” 

He gave her a chummy smack in the back and wrapped his arm over her shoulders. The blue-purple woman shifted her stance and gave him a frown, but he decided not to bother.

“Zeke, I think- um-“

Shifting his attention back to Mòrag, her cheeks were flushed a little, did the strong heat get to her too, he wondered, they were standing directly under the sun afterall. 

“Oh, sorry. It must’ve been hot here, let’s get back inside,” he grinned again and pushed her from behind until they were in front of the elevator. They went past the blue flame lady on the way, he smiled at her but she was still giving him that frown. 

_Man, do the adults here not know how to loosen up for a bit._

  
“Yo, I think I’m taller than you now,” he just realized that after seeing their reflections in the glass doors of the elevator and urged Mòrag to look at them.

“You’re certainly not,” she frowned at their reflections. But unlike the others’, he thought her frowning eyebrows were cute.

“It is just because of your unruly hair. We are the same height,” she pouted while pushing his hair down. He laughed out loud at the act. That stubborn side of hers still hadn’t changed.

“By the way-“

As she was about to say something, the lady in blue-purple approached them from behind. They both turned around when they saw her reflection.

“Lady Mòrag, it is time for your practice.”

“I see,” she gave the lady a nod.

“Practice? Can I join too?” he asked excitedly, “I mean, we haven’t introduced our Blades, have we? Might as well do it on the training ground.”

“My apology, Your Highness, Prince of Tantal, we’re afraid that is out of question. This practice involves the Ardainian Titan weapons and that is a national secret, we hope you understand,” the tall lady in purple blue hair said.

“Welp, that’s too bad then,” he shifted back and putting his hands behind his head, feeling a little dejected. Then he looked back at the girl of the same height, who was pressing the down button of the elevator.

“Another time then,” he grinned. “It’s not like we won’t be seeing each other again.”

“And now that we have something to look forward to,” she smiled, hinting at the grand sword hung on his back, one hand on the hilt of her own.

“Yep, I’ll be at Jakolo for like a week, if you have nothing fun to do, just come find me,” he joyously punched the air, with the grin still on his face.

The sound of the elevator tinged while she gave him a smiling nod.

“Well then, we’ll be going first.”

“See ya,” he waved.

After the Ardainian pair went down floor, the light bulb girl stepped beside him.

“You like her,” she said teasingly.

“Of course, Pandy! Back in Gormott she was super cool, ya know,” his eyes shone. “Now that she has a Blade, I bet she’ll be kicking asses.”

“That’s… not what I meant, my prince,” Pandy chuckled. Zeke lifted an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

“Do you think she’s cute?”

“The cutest,” he nodded. “And coolest too.”

Pandy couldn’t hide her squeal and pulled him into a squeeze, which made the soldiers around to stare at them.

“Then you will understand it soon,” she winked. “Just so you know, I’ll support you no matter what, my prince.”

“What was that about?” he raised an eyebrow. “You sound like Mum so much sometimes.”

The second time he met Mòrag, Zeke ended up getting confused with a question, of which Pandy said he would find the answer when he got older.

**3\. Three Centimeters**

Thirteen years old, when she jumped at him, pushed both of them rolling down a hill and barely dodged the giant rock thrown by that gigantic gorilla, picking themselves up off the wild grass and off the tree stumps. Three centimeters.

Fifteen years old, after they officially introduced each other’s name and ability, in Hardhaigh Palace’s training ground, laying down the floor laughing and panting for their breath. Twenty centimeters.

Eighteen years old, when he accidentally joined her on the mission of getting rid of an Ardainian illegal-drugs-dealing criminal group, hiding inside the Zeno’s Deadbole waiting for the right time to ambush, water dripping down from everywhere, her breath burning behind his ears. One centimeter.

He suddenly remembered that question he asked Pandy three years ago in Alba Cavanich. And he figured out the answer.

Twenty years old, he saw her by chance while retrieving an ancient book for his client. She was alone, drinking cups after cups in the Rumbletum Canteen, cursing something about the Senators and dating but all he remembered were how cute her blushing cheeks were being half-drunk, how hot her face felt pressing against his nape as he carried her back to the inn, how soft her lips felt on his thumb, how throbbing her breath was against his face. Ten millimeters.

He had another question.

_Can drunkenness be contagious?_

“Good morning, drunkard.”

“Zeke?? What are you- ugh,” just as she sat up, her head stung from the hangover.

“What are you doing here?,” she asked again while receiving a cup of water from him. She then looked around, probably was to confirm where she was.

The question was what he would like to ask her too. But he knew she wouldn’t want to answer.

“Got a quest here, then I saw you playing best friends with the cups at Rumbletum and decided to help you save face,” he answered by dramatically reenacting the situation. “Didn’t know whether if you had a room here or not so you’re in my room.”

“Oh, uh… sorry, and thank you,” She smiled at his antics at first but quickly looked troubled, for the first time in his seven years of knowing her.

“Don’t worry, it was Pandy who stayed here with you, and she took the other bed.”

“I know, that’s why I’m worried, where did you sleep last night? I don’t think you would rent another room for yourself.”

_Oh so that’s what she’s worried about._ His chest tightened. She trusted him to be a good friend so much that he didn’t know he should feel glad or not.

“Crashing at the campfire in the nopons’ resident district upstair, they’re quite soft to hug, you should try that sometimes,” he half-joked while leaning back at the doorframe.

“I guess I’ll pass on that one,” she giggled, a sound that he’d never realized how much he missed it until now.

“Anyway,” Mòrag got up from the bed, picking up her cap, her navy coat and the two whipswords. 

“I should go now, thank you once again, I owe you this time,” she walked through the door which side he was leaning against, patting on his arms.

He instinctively pulled her back by the wrist.

“What’s wrong?,” she turned her head back.

“Oh- uh, nothing,” he instantly realized his action and released her hand right away.

_Once again, three centimeters._

“Take care,” he put his hands in his pockets this time.

“You too,” she gave him a soft smile before turning back.

_Thirty centimeters._

  
He watched her walking upstair to the Goldmouth Flight Deck.

  
_Thirty peds._

_The distance to where you are…_

Packing up his and Pandy’s belongings, returning the key to the receptionist nopon, buying some Grilled Anchortails for lunch, waiting for the ship back to Uraya, he heard the plane taking off.

Just like two years ago when he waved her goodbye from the bridge in Torigoth Relay Base.

_The distance to you is something I don’t know anymore._

"Nor when I can see you again..."

**Author's Note:**

> I've never been good at writing and most of the time I just describe how I would want to draw the scenes so I apology if my writing feels too rigid (and English isn’t my first language either haha xD)
> 
> There may be one more chapter of the same style but please don't count me on that, I'll just put it as a oneshot for now xD


End file.
